Sports wire

Thursday

Sen. Herb Kohl, the Milwaukee Bucks' owner, had to go to Hong Kong to do it, but the Bucks signed Yi Jianlian, the No. 6 pick of the 2007 NBA draft, yesterday in Hong Kong to a rookie scale contract. The club also gave the 19-year-old's former team, the Guangdong Tigers, money in the deal but declined to discuss details.

Sen. Herb Kohl, the Milwaukee Bucks' owner, had to go to Hong Kong to do it, but the Bucks signed Yi Jianlian, the No. 6 pick of the 2007 NBA draft, yesterday in Hong Kong to a rookie scale contract. The club also gave the 19-year-old's former team, the Guangdong Tigers, money in the deal but declined to discuss details.

Kohl said Chen Haitao, owner of Yi's former pro team in China, asked him to make the trip, and that helped negotiations conclude quickly after nearly two months of discussion since the draft.

While the Bucks don't know exactly when the 6-foot-11 power forward would travel to the United States, they expect him to be in Milwaukee by October for the start of training camp or shortly thereafter.

Last season, Yi averaged 24.9 points, 11.5 rebounds and 1.8 blocks in 30.7 minutes for the Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association.

• Levon Kendall had six points, six rebounds and two assists in a 22-5 second-quarter run to spark Canada's 97-80 victory over Mexico in the FIBA Americas tournament in Las Vegas.

Argentina, which trailed by 17 points early in the second half, scored the last six points of regulation and beat Brazil 86-79 in overtime to remain unbeaten in the FIBA Americas tournament. Puerto Rico routed Venezuela 92-63 win.

Team USA drubbed Uruguay 118-79 in a late game.

• The Los Angeles Clippers signed 32-year-old free-agent forward Ruben Patterson, who averaged a career-high 14.7 points with Milwaukee last season. No terms were announced.

• Guard Kevin Martin signed a five-year contract extension with the Sacramento Kings reportedly worth more than $50 million after he averaged a team-leading 20.2 points.

• Robert Mitchell, a 6-6 forward who was the Atlantic 10 rookie of the year averaging 16.4 points last season, has left Duquesne University's basketball team and plans to transfer.

Legal file Ex-Raiders QB Marinovich pleads not guilty in drug arrest

Todd Marinovich, the former Los Angeles Raiders quarterback whose career ended in 1992 in a mire of drug abuse, is facing a possible prison term after a weekend arrest in Newport Beach, Calif.

Marinovich, 38, remained jailed yesterday on no-bail warrants for probation violation pending a Sept. 6 pretrial hearing. Police said he was skateboarding in a prohibited area near the Newport Pier boardwalk early Sunday and ran when officers approached him. He was found hiding in a nearby carport. Police found about a gram of powdered methamphetamine, a metal spoon and a hypodermic needle in a guitar case that Marinovich had.

Marinovich pleaded not guilty Tuesday to felony possession of a controlled substance and two misdemeanor counts.

• Britt Reid, a son of Philadelphia Eagles coach Andy Reid, was charged with driving under the influence and drug violations while still awaiting sentencing for a separate road-rage incident earlier this year.

Britt Reid, 22, was jailed last week in Norristown, Pa., for violating bail terms after police found 30 1/2 pills, including the painkiller hydrocodone, amphetamines and antidepressants, during a traffic stop. Charges from that stop were announced yesterday.

Two weeks ago, Reid pleaded guilty to gun and drug charges in the January incident. While on bail, he was required to remain drug free and drive only to his community college classes.

Elsewhere Clemson swimmer died of heart ailment, coroner says

The Clemson swimmer who collapsed while jogging Tuesday died from a heart ailment that likely couldn't have been detected beforehand, authorities said.

Amy Marie Moxie, 18, of Simpsonville, S.C., had aorta dissection, in which a tear in a layer of the wall of the blood vessel leading from the heart can cause the entire blood vessel to rupture, Pickens County Deputy Coroner Kandy Kelley said.

• Chivas USA defender Alex Zotinca was fined $1,250 and suspended three games for head-butting Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder Kevin Harmse on Thursday night after the Galaxy's David Beckham was tackled from behind by Chivas USA's Jesse Marsch.

Harmse was fined $250 for throwing a punch at Zotinca after the head butt. Zotinca and Harmse received red cards late in the first half of the game, won by Chivas USA 3-0.

• Beckham left in the 30th minute of the SuperLiga final against Pachuca in Carson, Calif., after suffering a sprained right knee when he fell.

• Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Stefan Legein scored to help Canada defeat Russia 3-0 in Ufa, Russia, in the second game of the the eight-game Canada-Russia Super Series for under-20 players.

From staff and wire reports

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